$1 million in jewels stolen from Cannes hotel, police say

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$1 million in jewels stolen from Cannes hotel, police say

By Saskya Vandoorne and Laura Smith-Spark

(CNN) — Jewels worth more than $1 million were stolen from a hotel in Cannes, France, police in the nearby city of Nice said Friday.

The theft of the jewels, from the Swiss firm Chopard, came Thursday night, on the second day of the renowned Cannes Film Festival, which opened Wednesday and runs through May 26.

The theft happened at a Novotel hotel, police said. No details have been given of the jewelry stolen.

The annual Cannes festival brings together the rich and famous from around the world for movie screenings and glittering parties.

Chopard, which is an official partner of the festival, has provided the Palme d’Or, or golden palm, awarded to the director of the best feature film each year since 1998. The trophy features a 24-carat gold palm attached to a piece of cut crystal.

The firm is promoting its Red Carpet Collection 2013 at this year’s festival, with a number of actresses sporting its gems.

The collection is “a world of unparalleled glamour and craftsmanship, where originality, creativity, and technical mastery are pushed to their ultimate limits,” according to Chopard’s Facebook page.

By coincidence, the theft occurred on the same day as the screening in Cannes of Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring,” which stars Harry Potter actress Emma Watson as a member of a thieving group of teens who steal from the famous.

The movie isn’t in competition but was selected to open the “Un Certain Regard” portion of the film festival.